Cyprus-Forum.com

[GavinAI1]

Greetings

i am sure this topic has done the rounds a few times, maybe once more wouldn't hurt?

my father (who is married to a Cypriot) has just retired to Cyprus and is trying to convince me and my young family (1 wife! and 2 boys 4 & 2) to follow. Currently we live in asia and are a eurasian family (for what its worth).

we have never been to cyprus (yes thats the first step) and are in the process of moving to australia. so in short the question would be - why should we change - what is the standard of education like? do they have british curriculum schools? the standard of living? the quality of life? is there a language barrier (we do not speak greek or cypriot)? is there a safety/security issue? is there anything else we should know?

i have asked my dad and step mum but they are very biased (surprise surprise) so i hope this is not to blunt! and many thanks to all who take the time to respond...

[cannedmoose]

The only advice I'd give is to at least visit Cyprus before making any life-changing decisions. What's right for your dad isn't necessarily what's right for you... Cyprus will either be right for you, or it won't...

In answer to your questions, the standards of education are good, certainly comparable to standards throughout Western Europe. I'm not sure about UK curriculum schools, I would think the English School in Nicosia probably follows a UK syllabus although I can't attest to that. State schools in Cyprus follow a baccalaureate programme, which I would probably rate above the current UK system anyway. Given the age of your children, the language transition issue shouldn't be a problem, so they could easily move into the state system without much of a problem.

Standard of living/quality of life depends on the normal factors - job, location etc. Obviously there's good weather for most of the year which helps you feel generally better. The island is a small place which makes seeing friends easy and is within easy reach of the UK and elsewhere.

As for language barriers, many many Cypriots speak english as a second language, so day-to-day communication isn't so much of an issue. However, to really get on in Cyprus learning Greek would be a major advantage, if you don't, you'll always be an outsider.

As for safety/security, Cyprus has a far lower crime-rate than the UK and is one of the few places where parents can generally still feel safe with their kids outside on their own. The only security issue is the ongoing division of the island, although the likelihood of any further armed conflict is very slim.

Other than these, you ask if there is anything else you need to know. You can only find this out by visiting and seeing if you like it.

[sk]

hi!well,your question is very difficult to tell the truth...i will try to list the advantages /disadvantages of cyprus compared to australia and other places

advantages =1)very safe compared to other countries,2)very satisfactory living standards compared to many other european countries,3)very good education level,4)many countries are very close so its a very good starting point for travelling and vacations,most european destinations are within 4-4,5 hours by plane,there are ships connecting cyprus to israel,egypt,lebanon,greece,syria,5)beautiful weather and friendly people

disadvantages =1)small island and small society (~750,000 inhabitants),2)bad public transportation bc everyone has his/her own car,3)you will not have the job opportunities you have in other bigger countries(of course this depends on what your profession is).


another thing you should know is that you can get along without knowing greek very well bc most people speak english. there are many english language schools,but they are all of them private and you have to pay tuition fee. in public schools the language of teaching is greek and they are free. your children at their age if they register in a public school will not have a language problem,it will take them about 6-7months to learn the language only(my best friend is a primary school teacher and he has taught many foreign speaking children in public schools and he told me that 6-7 months is the max time for a child to pick up the language,usually they do it within 4-5 months).


i would recommend the following sites for further info and pics of cyprus
www.cyprusnet.com has almost everything you may need info about in cyprus,just click on what you want and you will get the results!!!
www.aspectsofcyprus.com its a new site by PIO( press and information office of cyprus)
www.imagesofcyprus.com for images!!!


if you need anything else dont hesitate to post your question!!

[Michael Coumas]

Hi
With boys of 4 & 2 the priority must be their education. I am not too sure of the overall quality of primary and intermediate education as compared to either Australia or UK. I am led to believe it is on a par if taken as an average. As in most countries there are some establishments better than others. It comes as no surprise however to note that UK has suffered a steady decline in education standards within urban districts with the increase in liberalisation. Pupils who want to learn generally do in spite of distractions from those who do not. University choice however will be a more complex issue and with only 2 years between your boys ages I wish you luck.
Any change of lifestyle is major but becomes easier the more times you change. I have needed to live in various places over the years but managed by adapting to the local way of life whilst still retaining what I considered to be the best from previous experiences.
Being closer to your family must also count for something but please try it first as too much of a change could be a culture shock.